


Broken Hearts Parade

by Morgawse



Series: The bitter then the sweet [6]
Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Fluff, M/M, Relationship Counselling, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2019-04-04 21:55:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14029578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morgawse/pseuds/Morgawse
Summary: Frank and Gerard had screwed each other up badly with their indfidelities.  Last time they were in the same room, it was because Mikey had tried to play fixer, but it ended up in a fist fight. Somewhere deep down though, they are still desperately in love with each other.  Join them on this ride to see if they can pull something out of the wreckage.





	Broken Hearts Parade

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Screaming Infidelities](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13961862) by [Morgawse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morgawse/pseuds/Morgawse). 



> Hello my lovelies! I got the impression that y’all needed some closure from the last bitter episode in this series (Domebedward, I’m thinking of you here). :) So, you get two sweet oneshots to finish up the series. This story follows directly on from Screaming Infidelities. It can be standalone but makes more sense if you’ve read that first - just read the trigger warnings if you do!
> 
> I won’t apologise for the dark edges to my writing, the darkness is major part of who I am, and it comes through in my writing. But I also love the dialogue with my readers and sharing ideas. So, I hope this story takes things to a more comfortable resolution for you.
> 
> I think I got all the errors, if not apologies.

It was Gerard who looked up first. Frank was still looking down, his eyes glazed over, the emotional and physical pain etched on his face. 

“His beautiful face,” Gerard thought. “Damn, he is still the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. Here he is miserable as sin, drunk, thinner than he ought to be, his face covered in bruises I’ve just inflicted on him, yet still, his beauty radiates through.” 

A crashing wave of guilt rushed over Gerard. Nothing new there, the storms had been raging for the last month or so. He hadn’t initially felt guilty, but as the trapped feeling crept up on him, the more guilt he felt for not talking things out with Frank rather than playing the revenge card. “No denying it, I am a selfish bastard,” he reflected, “hellbent on getting what I want while others pay for my selfish impulses.” The others here weren’t just Frank, but Mikes and Lyndsey too.

He heard a sniffle. It was muffled, as though no one was meant to listen to it, but there was no mistaking the sound. His heart lurched. His Frankie was crying. He couldn’t remember ever hearing Frank cry before. Frank was a human, so of course, he cried, but never in front of anyone. One part of Gerard wanted to rush over there and comfort him. Another part was still hurt and angry at Frank’s infidelity so wanted to keep his distance. Another part of him was wary of getting too close in case Frank lashed out physically again. One kick in the balls was quite enough for the night. But the stifled sobs kept on coming. Eventually, he watched as Frank raised a hand to his face to wipe away the tears. His own hurt and anger aside, Gerard couldn’t sit and watch this in silence anymore. He would risk Frank’s fists because there was a kind of twisted catharsis for both in the violence. 

Mikey too had noticed. Despite an obvious embarrassment at seeing his friend cry, he wanted to do something to soothe him. He edged away from Pete moving cautiously towards Frank. Gerard intercepted him with a pleading look, motioning for Mikey & Pete to leave him and Frank alone. “Let me do it, please,” he mouthed. Mikey nodded, grabbing Pete and heading for the kitchen.

Even in his tearful state, Frank wasn’t oblivious to the movements of the other three men. What Frank was not aware of was how long his ex had been studying him, or the inner turmoil seeing him so distraught had caused. Lifting his head, he realised that Mikey & Pete had withdrawn leaving him alone with Gerard. Not only that, but Gerard had moved closer to him. If deer caught in the headlights looked both petrified and irate, then that is how Frank looked when he saw how close Gerard was to him. Every muscle in his body tensed as if debating fight or flight. However, he was rooted to the spot. 

“Frank, please. I am sorry. I know you don’t believe that right now. I know I said it over and over before you threw me out. You didn’t believe me then, but I’m asking you to at least consider the possibility that I mean it. Because I do.”

Frank just stared at Gerard. He couldn’t answer. His mind was a complete blank. His mouth zipped tight shut. The only thing that betrayed how he felt were the tears that refused to stop spilling from his eyes.

“May I come in closer?”

He still couldn’t move. If he could, would he have signalled yes or no? He didn’t know. Frank wished he could just ctrl-alt-delete his brain and reboot it. It was stuck on the blue screen of death. Imageless and silent.

Taking no answer as an ok, Gerard crouched down by Frank. Tentatively he reached out to touch Frank’s hand. He had always loved the tattoos on Frank’s hands. How ironic the Hopeless Romantic one now seemed. 

Frank didn’t withdraw his hand. He was still immobilised.

“I wish I could see the light in your eyes again Frank. It tears me to pieces to know I’m the idiot that made them so black and lifeless.”

Still nothing from Frank. No reboot just yet.

“Please, Frank. Give me something. Yell at me or hit me again, but please do or say something.” Gerard neither wanted to be yelled at or hit, but he needed some reaction from Frank. None came.

Gerard moved to sit down against the wall next to Frank. Careful not to make a sudden movement he swapped the hand that rested on Frank’s, then snaked his now free hand around Frank's shoulder. Frank flinched at the touch, but Gerard persisted. His touch was featherlight so as not too seem possessive or spook Frank, but enough for him to know that it was there.

Quietly Gerard began to hum an old Guns and Roses song that seemed so apt for this situation. Then remembering that there were two sets of lyrics and that he had always preferred the other version, he began to sing them to Frank:

“Don't you cry tonight, I still love you, baby, don't you cry tonight……” 

As Gerard made his way through the song, slowly Frank’s brain started to function again. Overwhelmingly so. The silent tears became full body sobs as he released so much pent-up despair. To both Frank’s and Gerard’s surprise, Frank’s body knew exactly what he needed right now; even if his brain didn’t. Frank leant in towards Gerard, his head ending up on Gerard’s shoulder.

Hearing Frank, Mikey peeked round from the kitchen. Seeing his brother and his friend so close and no longer trying to kill each other, he allowed himself a smile. “Come on Pete,” he whispered, “let’s go to bed and leave them to it.”

*Two days later*  
“Do we have to do this now. Can’t it wait till later? You know, this evening after my appointment?”

“No Lindz, it can’t.” Gerard wasn’t sure why he used the pet version of her name. He had avoided using it since he had realised what a dick he had been and how little she meant to him, beyond being the mother of his unborn child. Without the baby he would have split with her long before. Perhaps he was trying to soften the blow. Although the way the two of them had been at each other’s throats recently it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. 

“I need to move out. Us living together isn’t working out. It’s stressing all three of us. I don’t want our child to have to deal us being at each other’s throats before he or she is even born.”

“You’re leaving?”

“That’s what ‘moving out’ usually indicates. But, before you start, let me explain.”

Lindsey hmphed, flopping down in a chair. 

“I am moving out. I can’t see us as a couple…”

“So, this still looks like abandoning the child you claim not to want to harm and me.”

“Lindz…”

“Don’t call me that, and don’t you dare tell me to calm down or that it’s the hormones talking.”

Gerard knew it was partly the hormones talking, but he wanted this to be a rational, adult conversation. “Ok, Lindsey. Moving out is the right option, but I still want to be involved. I’ll be at any appointments you want for support. I would love to be at the birth. If you don’t want me there I also get that. I want to stay involved in my child’s life. I want him or her to know me. I want to be a part of them growing up. I just can’t do that living with you.”

“Uhuh. So why now?”

“Because you know we don’t love each other. That’s no way to bring up a child. If we continue like this, it will only get worse.”

Lindsey knew he was right. She had fairly quickly realised that Gerard was still in love with someone else. For her, the surprise that she was pregnant had made her cling to the faint hope that some spark of true romantic love might form between them. It hadn’t on her side either. That was why they were so mad at each other all the time. She needed some time to think through what next. Probably best that Gerard moved out, so she had the space to do that at her own pace.

Keeping her voice as steady and friendly as possible she declared, “Don’t bother coming to the appointment this afternoon. I think it would be best if your stuff were out of here before I get back. I need to think how I want this to go forward.”

“I understand. I’ll be at Mikey’s.” With that, Gerard walked off to start packing.

*Two weeks later*  
Ray nodded at the waitress as she offered a refill on the coffee. Frank pushed his mug over to her to get his as well.

“How're things personally?” Ray was dancing around the handbags here. The first half hour of this conversation had been mainly about work and music. Ray hadn’t spoken to Frank since they had last been in this Diner. Ray had been taken aback when Frank suggested meeting here rather than at a coffee shop in the centre of town. Pete, however, had let slip about the events at his apartment after they had all left the Diner the night of the Bad Religion show. So, he knew that there was a hint of truce between Frank and Gerard.

For the first time in months, Ray saw Frank laugh. “Fishing are we? Want to know where these came from?” Frank gestured at the faded, but still visible bruises on his face. “There was this big, muscular gay dude hiding around the corner from my apartment. He jumped me, suggested we go back to his for some rough sex and these were the result. An enjoyable time had by all!”

“Eww, not sure I want to know the details of your sexual preferences! Now what really happened.” It was good to see Frank acting more like himself. There was still that air of sadness over him. But instead of smelling like a brewery, Frank smelled like he had showered. He had also shaved. It was a good start.

“Mikey and Pete tried to play Relationship Fixer Extreme Edition. They’re crap at it! Gee hit me, and I kicked him in the bollocks.”

Now it was Ray’s turn to laugh, Pete hadn’t made it sound like that. Pete had focused more on the end of the night and finding the two of them asleep, curled around each other on the living room floor the following morning. Ray took a sip of his coffee waiting to see if Frank would volunteer up any more information. But he didn’t, so Ray decided to push him a bit. “Drunk you had good enough aim to do that?”

“I would like to claim yes, but it was more like I was flailing around as Mikey hauled him off me and I struck gold.”

“You two must have looked quite the sight! Now what?”

“I don’t know. Gerard is at Mikey & Pete’s. He and Lindsey are going to see a lawyer to draw up an access and maintenance agreement.” Frank’s shoulders slumped as dejected Frank showed up again. “As for the ‘us’ part. We’re both hurting badly. In all honesty, I still don’t know if it's fixable. I’m not even a hundred percent sure I want to try.”

Ray couldn’t control his response, “Bullshit, and you know it Frank. Deep down inside you know you want to fight for what you had.” 

Vulnerability wasn’t exactly Frank’s strong suit. “I don’t know,” he repeated. To Ray, it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself. Frank and Gerard had been one of the closest couples Ray had ever known, himself and Christa included. The idea that the two of them would just give up and call it quits seemed incomprehensible. He also knew how stubborn Frank was when he believed or wanted to believe, something. So, he just let it go and changed the subject. That was until they got up to leave. “One of Christa’s friends is going through a sticky patch in her marriage. I think they’ve been going to relationship counselling. I could get the name of the counsellor for you?” This was Ray’s parting shot. His attempt to play fixer for two of his best friends. 

“Sure, thanks,” Frank shrugged. It wouldn’t do any harm to have that in his back pocket. An independent voice to help work out what was salvageable could be better than friends and family intervening again. But he didn’t know what next, partly because he knew he too had fucked up. He didn’t trust Gerard, but equally importantly, he no longer trusted himself. Truthfully, he didn’t know why he had been unfaithful, that bothered him. Would he do it again? Then there was discussing the whole heaping mess with Gerard, alone, face to face. That wasn’t an appealing thought – which Frank and which Gerard would appear? Even being in public was no guarantee of civility. Hell, the floor of the apartment block had been treated to their rows when they spilt out of the apartment and into the middle of the hallway. That was why he and Gerard had exchanged a couple of texts, but they hadn’t been in the same room together since he had cried himself to sleep in Gerard’s arms while Gerard sang. Man, had he missed that voice. 

*One month later*  
“Right then, Frank, Gerard, which one of you would like to start?”

Frank was busy examining his non-existent fingernails. Gerard was chewing on his bottom lip. Neither would make eye contact with the other, nor right now with Dr Madden. Dr Madden was not in the least perturbed. He had seen this behaviour many times before, especially in a first session once you got past the introductions and explanations of how things worked. Allowing the silence, not filling it with empty words was vital here. The trust that this was a safe space for them to air their innermost thoughts would gradually build. Then they could make some progress. Years of therapy and counselling experience had taught Benji Madden to read the couples that came through his door. His initial impression of whether a couple could stay together, or split, was almost always correct. He studied Frank and Gerard, his trusted professional opinion on their prognosis forming in his mind. 

The silence was deafening to Gerard. He had been surprised when Frank had suggested counselling. At the time it had seemed a sensible idea. Far better than traipsing through their dirty laundry on their own. Now they were here it did not seem such a brilliant plan. There was only one thing he was certain of. He would do what it took to get a resolution on him and Frank.

Frank rather wished he had not suggested this at all. His selfish pride did not want to have to admit to anyone else, whether he knew them or not, that Gerard was not the only one at fault here. It was terrible enough Mikey & Pete knew. He mulled over the possibility that if he had been able to stay faithful, so would Gerard.

As the silence stretched out and what was a usual one or two minutes became five, Dr Madden knew he would have to say something.

“Gerard, Frank. I know this is difficult. I realise from the history you both gave that the last time you were in a room together, things got out of hand and turned violent. I know neither of you is confident that it won’t happen again. I can’t tell you it won’t. What I can say with certainty is that if neither of you says anything nothing about the state of your relationship will change. As I said at the start of this session we need to create a safe space here for honesty about feelings and behaviours. Once we are in a place of honesty, we can look at how to rebuild trust on both sides. But I can’t help you guys to do any of that just by sitting in silence.

So, let’s maybe go over one of the ground rules again. Make sure we are all on the same page here. Both of you said you were here of your own volition and willing to work through your issues. Was that true?”

Benji Madden paused, waiting for a response. Noticing the quizzical looks on both men’s faces, he added, “Doubts about the outcome are ok. There is no ‘right answer’. The only answer we are searching for is the one that the two of you eventually agree on about your relationship. What I mean is I need to know if one of you has coerced the other, or if one of you is here to shut the other up.”

“Oh, er, yeah, no – I mean, I’m all in.” Frank piped up.

“Me too,” Gerard declared.

It was clear that this was going to be one of those cases where he would have to ask a few probing questions to get them to open up, Dr Madden reflected. “Right then,” he was going straight for the jugular, “I want to hear what the number one issue you both had with your relationship before the infidelities began. Frank, you start.”

Rabbit, headlights – those two words came to mind for Frank’s initial response. Goldfish was another as his mouth opened and closed without making a sound. His brain was spinning at a million miles an hour trying to locate that one thing. There had been niggles, what relationship doesn’t have them? Flaws are simply a part of the human condition. Everyone has them. He couldn’t think of anything. That wasn’t strictly true, one word kept floating to the surface, no matter how hard he tried to ignore it. It was such a cliché.

“I was bored,” he blurted out before he could stop himself.

Great, thought Dr Madden. Now we have something to work with. He studied Gerard’s reaction, watching him bristle, choking back what would no doubt have been an angry retort. “Thanks Frank. Before we explore exactly what you mean by that, Gerard what about you?”

Gerard had been thinking about what it was. He had not been bored. That was not it. But why resort to revenge? Not just revenge, but such an extreme form, especially given he had never been interested in women before. Why not simply go fuck another bloke for revenge? He shook his head. “I’m not really sure. I wasn’t bored. Maybe …” He was searching for a word that was stuck on the tip of his tongue but seemed unable to articulate.

“Yes, go on Gerard. It doesn’t matter how it sounds if it’s what comes up for you go with it.” Benji Madden knew that sometimes those first few words of honesty were the hardest. 

“Selfishness." That was the word Gerard couldn’t bring himself to say. The word didn’t surprise him about himself. He had recognised that trait long ago, but he realised that what had irked him most was that BOTH he and Frank always had to have their way. “We would compromise on trivial matters, but there was always a sense that I had to be in control and do things my way and Frank was the same. We would compete and try to outdo the other to get control.” That explained trying to outdo Frank in the revenge stakes and look where that had got him!

“Thank you for being honest, Gerard. Ok, so we have about fifteen minutes left to get into some of this…”

Twenty minutes later reflecting on the session as he completed his notes, Benji Madden added, as he always did, his prediction for the couple’s future. Unusually for him all he typed was a question mark.

*Three months later*  
Frank and Gerard were sat at a table in a restaurant that had only opened in the last couple of weeks. It was crowded. Frank had changed the habit of a lifetime for this date night. He had booked ahead. One of the rules they had made during sessions with Dr Madden was that no dates would be at any of the places that they had either frequented when they were first together or had been with other people during their questioning. Frank didn’t want to risk his spontaneity landing them with nowhere else to go but one of those places or driving out of town.

Finally, the awkwardness had gone from their meetings. Sure, there were times it got like that during counselling sessions when Dr Madden called one of them out on something or was making them probe more in-depth than they wanted to into feelings, limits, trust issues and behaviours. But there was now ease and amiability about the time they spent together. They regularly spoke on the phone. You couldn’t say things were fixed, but it now looked like they had a shot. This was the first time they had been out to dinner on their own

Gerard was a little distracted. Who wouldn’t be in his position? Here he was on a date with the man he knew he loved but was still trying to figure out if he could be with. At the same time, he had to make sure that his phone was at hand and on loud, just in case he got THAT call from Lindsey. Frank understood it could happen. How they were going to handle Gerard’s fatherhood and access to his child was another hot topic of conversation with Dr Madden. Things still weren’t crystal clear for Gerard and Lindsey despite having had a lawyer draw up an agreement for them. But it was progress that Lindsey said she wanted Gerard to be her birth partner. She claimed it wouldn’t be fair to deny him the privilege of being there at his child’s birth. 

As they were finishing off their entrees, Gerard’s phone beeped. His heart stopped, but it was just a text message from Mikey wanting to know how the first ‘real date’ was going? Cheeky little shit. Amused at his brother’s nosiness, Gerard passed the phone over to Frank. “So, how do we respond then Frankie? Tell him the truth, exaggerate, tell him it’s a disaster, or tell him to mind his own damn business?”

Frank didn’t say anything. Instead, he typed out a response to Mikey and pressed send before handing it back to Gerard with a wink.

Text Message to Mikey: Heading back to Frank’s for a night of wild sex, drugs and rock’n’roll!

“Seriously though, how about we do head back to my place? I’ve got some beers in the fridge.”

“Some?”

“Ok, well I have a case of beer in the apartment, just not all of it is in the fridge. Smartass!”

“No, I just know you,” Gerard smirked. It was an appealing idea though. “Tell you what. Follow me back to mine so I can drop off my car. We then head over to yours, and I can get a cab back home later without having to pick my car up tomorrow.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Frank signalled for the check.

A couple of hours later, several empty cans of beer lay on Frank’s coffee table. The credits for Star Wars were rolling – a symbolic nostalgia trip that was easy to watch. No-one was watching the TV though. Gerard’s hands were wrapped in Frank’s hair. Frank’s were draped around Gerard’s neck. Their lips were locked together, tongues twisting around each other like snakes fighting for supremacy. Both men knew exactly where this was headed. Neither knew whether it was a good idea or not, but they did not give a rat’s ass about that. All that mattered now was re-exploring every inch of each other’s bodies. 

It wasn’t clear who initiated the move but, in a flash, they were up and heading towards Frank’s bedroom, what had once been their bedroom. Shirts were unbuttoned and discarded. Belts were undone. Jeans pushed down over hips and kicked off as they pooled around ankles. In seconds, Frank and Gerard were tumbling onto the bed a writhing mess, hot sweaty bodies entwined, legs wrapped around each other. Their old comfortable habits returned, with Gerard finding himself on top of Frank as he ground his hard cock against Frank’s through his underwear. Gerard nuzzled his head into the crook of Frank’s neck. Drinking in the smell of Frank and his aftershave, Gerard started to kiss, lick and nip at that tender spot between neck and shoulder, enticing small gasps of pleasure from Frank as he did. He soon felt hands on his hips, tugging at the waistband of his boxers. He lifted his hips slightly to aid Frank, as he pushed Gerard’s boxers down. Gerard returned the favour, helping Frank to remove his boxers. With the two of them now naked, they paused to take in the sight they both thought had been consigned to the ranks of distant memory. But it wasn’t a memory it was real.

Gerard remembered where Frank kept the lube. There was now something else they needed, a condom. When they had been together, they stopped using them. They had been tested and were both clean, then. Gerard felt like an ass for having to ask the question. He hadn’t come prepared. Honestly, he hadn’t even considered that tonight’s date might end up back at Frank’s apartment. Another reason why both their relationships with alcohol sucked.

“Frank, this is a bit of a shitty question to have to ask, but do you have any condoms?”

Frank looked slightly hurt at the question. Nonetheless, he gestured towards the same drawer in which he kept the lube. Gerard swore at himself, silently. Why didn’t he just go for the lube? He would have found the condoms for himself. Asking that question, raising doubts about whether Frank was still clean was like rubbing Frank’s indiscretions in his face. The very thing at the top of the list of things Dr Madden said was off limits. It wasn’t intentional, but condoms were now a necessary consideration.

“Hey, Gee, it’s ok.” Frank’s hand reached out to touch Gerard’s face. “I understand. I am clean, but I get you’d prefer to use condoms for now. Come here.” Frank propped himself up on one elbow as Gerard bent down towards him. Frank’s free hand crept around to the back of Gerard’s head, drawing him in for a reassuring kiss. 

The hiatus while they discussed protection had dulled the passion somewhat. “Way to go fuckwit,” Gerard muttered, berating himself under his breath. 

When their lips met, the kiss was slow, soft and sweet. Just two sets of lips pressed together. Nothing more. Too soon, however, Gerard broke the kiss, rolling off Frank and coming to lie on his side next to him. Something was still gnawing at him. He knew exactly what it was; he just didn’t want to admit to it. He hoped that it would go away of its own accord in the heat of the moment. If it did not, this feeling was only going to ruin things further.

“We can take things slow.” Frank broke into Gerard’s reverie. “Make-up sex doesn’t have to be some crazy session with fireworks and shit. If we’re meant to be, those times will come back.”

Frank’s fingers were gently tracing patterns on Gerard’s chest. His gaze was fixed firmly on the man’s face. He remembered how much he loved waking up to those fine features and those beautiful, expressive eyes. He knew he wanted to try that again. There was this tiny part of him that dared to believe that knowing what he had almost lost would make waking up to Gerard’s face more pleasing.

Emboldened by Frank’s words, Gerard reciprocated Frank’s touch. Although, he continued to trace the patterns he was drawing down Frank’s chest, over his stomach and down to his thighs. Gerard could hear the subtle change in Frank’s breathing. The passion hadn’t been completely destroyed.

Gerard ventured to voice that childish concern that had been eating away at him since it became evident they would end up in bed together. He couldn’t really bring himself to top. As utterly ridiculous at it sounded, the first time back with Frank, he didn’t want to be reminded of anything that wasn’t about them. If he topped, he would be reminded of his failings. But he had always topped. His whole life he had topped. He had never bottomed. He was going to ruin things yet again. 

“Frank, I…er…um wondered if you would…er…like…um, top this time?”

“You sure about that?” Frank knew Gerard never bottomed. It was a strange request. One, though, with which he had no problem complying. In his anger and hurt after the split, he had always wanted to be the one taking control of sex, the one in charge of what happened. He had become a top. Truthfully, he sort of preferred it.

Gerard swallowed hard. He knew what he was letting himself in for, but it was their best shot. “I’m sure.”

Frank set to work lubing up his fingers. Slowly he inserted one into Gerard. Waiting as he saw him flinch, then beginning to move that finger around. The one became two fingers, moving them rhythmically in and out of the tight, hot space. His dick twitched at the thought that soon enough it would be that, and not his fingers, in that space. He paused momentarily before inserting a third finger. “You still good?”

“Mmkay” came the response. The third finger found its way in. Frank smiled as he heard Gerard’s breath hitch at the stretch. He was becoming impatient to be inside Gerard properly, but he also wanted Gerard to be adequately prepared. He wanted this new experience to be memorable for them both for all the right reasons. Once he sensed that Gerard had adjusted to having three fingers inside him, it was time for the real deal. Having withdrawn his fingers, pleased at the disappointed gasp that escaped Gerard’s lips as he did so, Frank lined himself up with the entrance. He pushed just the tip in, again letting Gerard get used to the sensation. Slowly Frank forced his way in until he bottomed out. He didn’t begin to thrust immediately. He could see the discomfort on Gerard’s face.

“You still good, Gee?”

“Yeah,” Gerard panted his voice tinged both with desire and pain. “You can move. I’ll be fine.”

“I hope you’ll be better than fine,” Frank laughed as he pulled back, then thrust back in. Within a few thrusts Frank found what he was looking for, Gerard’s prostate. As soon as he hit it, Gerard mewled, his back arching and his hips thrusting up wantonly. Now he knew where the target was; Frank kept on directing his thrusts there. He could feel that tell-tale swirling feeling rising in him. Frank heard the desperation in Gerard’s moans as he worked Gerard’s cock with his hand in time with his thrusts. Soon the two of them dived headlong into that abyss known as orgasm.

*One year later*  
Frank took one last look at his old apartment as he handed the keys over to the superintendent. So many memories. Thankfully the good times still outweighed the bad. Gerard was going to meet him at their new apartment on the other side of town. He was still out with Lindsey and their beautiful baby girl. Things weren’t the greatest between Frank and Lindsey. It was kind of understandable. Her presence always reminded Frank of the time he almost lost Gerard. His presence reminded her that the man with whom she had had an affair and a child was, in fact, gay and that the ‘someone’ Gerard had been in love with while they were together was Frank. Frank tolerated Lindsey for Gerard’s sake. He was pleased with how well Gerard had taken to being a dad. He was besotted with his daughter. Frank had to admit that she was cute. He was also pleased that Gerard and Lindsey had found a way to co-exist, in fact, they were starting to develop a close friendship. A friendship Frank wasn’t jealous of in the slightest. 

His thoughts had taken him all the way down to his car. Chucking the last of his belongings in the back, Frank slipped the car into gear. He hummed happily to himself as he made the frustratingly slow journey. It wasn’t all that far, but every set of lights was red. Frustrating as it was nothing could destroy his mood today. He was only a couple of blocks away when he got a text message. He guessed it was from Gerard. It was.

Text message: I will be a little later than I thought. Forgot to pick something up earlier, so need to get it now. Probably half hour at most. Gee xxxxxx

“Hmm wonder what that could be,” Frank mused out loud. Oh well, that would give him time to get the car unpacked. He did just that. The last box was of crockery. So, for the first time that afternoon, he made his way into the kitchen. He had to laugh realising that Gerard had already taken the time to put up a chalkboard in the kitchen. His laughter stopped as he read what Gerard had written on the board. Instead, his heart skipped a beat.

It read: Frank Anthony Iero I love you with all my heart. You are my muse.

Frank clambered onto one of the bar stools at the breakfast bar. He just sat there staring at the words his lover had written him. Frank wasn’t sure how long he sat there. It wasn’t until he heard Gerard’s keys in the door that the real world broke into his continued wonder at the turn around in his life over the last 18 months. 

“In the kitchen,” he called, “staring at your little message.”

“Be right there.” Gerard shrugged off his jacket, kicked off his shoes and hung up his keys. He took a deep breath to steady himself before going to join Frank. “Thought we could use this to celebrate.” Gerard placed an expensive bottle of champagne on the counter in front of Frank. “Could you grab us a couple of glasses while I open it?”

Frank heard the pop of the cork as he opened cupboard after cupboard to find what was still in the box he hadn’t opened. Remembering where they were, he dug through to locate them. When Frank returned to Gerard’s side with two champagne glasses, he noticed that there was a small box sitting in front of the bottle. He looked from the box to Gerard and back again.

“Is that what I think it is?”

“Yes, Frank. Marry me?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. As I said upfront, I love to hear from you wonderful people, please feel free to comment here or where I lurk on Twitter (@morgawse_hp). 
> 
> To encourage the lurkers among you (I know what that's like, I used to be in your ranks), if you can tell me who the title comes from, I’ll gift you the last in the series.


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